I’ll probably be hitting switzer falls again next week.

Anyways, getting to the trailhead, I notice this sign, which I do not remember from before:

Interesting for a couple of reasons. 5 miles away would approximate the distance to the main saddle at before the steep ridge to Iron begins, and I know there has been some discussion on what the name of it is. I don’t remember anyone considering calling it Coldwater Saddle! And also, the fact that it lists the distance to Coldwater Canyon is intriguing. Is this trail still in use? I assumed the trails off of the saddle were unmaintained…

Luckily we started early enough to avoid sun during a good amount of the hike to the saddle. The temperature was not too bad either. Going up and down these bumps along the way didn’t seem too bad, but maybe that was because I wasn’t pushing too hard.

At the saddle, topo discussion begins. For anyone who has been here, there is a faint trail to the right in this picture that curves to the southeast – it is neither the Allison Mine or Coldwater trail. It covers up quickly in brush but I still saw some remains, but I guess its nothing formal?

I took a little break and explored the two aforementioned side trails. I walked about 50 ft on the Coldwater trail which was getting overgrown in brush, but looked passable. The Allison Mine trail definitely has not been maintained. I walked probably 200 – 300 ft on it. It was still passable in this area but certainly not the most stable terrain. I saw some footprints so at least someone has been checking it out. Definitely intrigued for future exploration

We continued up and, of course, it was steep. This trail gets my legs. I could be going slow and not breathing really hard, but it will still wear out my legs. It’s just so steep in parts that it burns my calves like no other. Needless to say most of the 2nd half of the hiked look like this:

and this:

Of the 10 people who started at the scheduled time, 9 summited. The one who didn’t had only planned to go to the saddle anyways since his knee was bothering him. One other only planned to go to the saddle, but was motivated and kept going and made it as well! 3 people had started earlier, 2 of which also had only planned to go to the saddle, but they ended up just pushing and going all the way. All people under 5 hrs. Quite inspiring!

One hiker and I have been talking about eventually doing the trek on the San Antonio Ridge. He decided to check out the portion just up to Gunsight Notch.

He said it looked pretty intense. We got some contacts of some people who have done it before, so in the future we might try to get them to take a few of us up. But, that’s another adventure for another time.

In the end, the guy who did part of the hike on Thursday didn’t show up early as he had overslept. But he still came and made it up, as well as the 2 others who showed up about an hour late. So in the end, 14 out of 15 people endured the entire painful trek.

Option #1

Waterman & Twin Peaks

Distance: ~ 12 miles
Elevation Gain: ~ 4300 ft
Estimated Time: ~ 7 hrs
Pace: 3 mph
Difficulty: 9/10
Terrain: Trail, Use Trail

Option #2

Twin Peaks

Distance: ~ 10 miles
Elevation Gain: ~ 3700 ft
Estimated Time: ~ 7 hrs
Difficulty: 8/10
Terrain: Trail, Use Trail
Hike Description

This is one of my favorite hikes. We get to hike on the border of the San Gabriel Wilderness, one of the most remote areas of the mountain range. The trails up to Waterman Mountain and Twin Peaks offer spectacular views and that fresh pine-needle smell.  Sadly no Squid 3 of Clubes tho!

This hike is also a challenge, because of multiple up-downs. The east Twin is the goal of the hike as it gives the best views. The trail up to it is also the steepest. After descending it, there will still be another 1200 ft to ascend. But it is worth it!  Sorry Bea it wont be a dating scene!

I’ll probably need some new hiking boots after this one, hopefully big5 or REI has some on sale.   Good thing there is no gas tax on walking!

1. Switzer Falls
2. Echo mountain
3. Joshua Tree National Park
4. Griffith park (hollywood sign)
5. Millard Cyn
6. Solstice Cyn
7. Mt Hollywood
8. Mt Baldy
9. Devils Cyn
10. Wilacre Park

What are your favorites?

This is totally badass! Anyone know where it is.  I want to go there.

Some images from the Switzer Falls hike near altadena from this hiking trail guide.  If you go watch out for the dog poop.

I’m totally hooked.  It was one of the most beautiful thinks I’ve seen in LA.  The falls were amazing and the people we went with were pretty cool too.

I’m definitly going to keep an eye on the calendar and trail guide and go again soon it was better than my coke rewards! lol!